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REGIMENT ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY. 23 



Vj V-X w 



HOOD'S LOST OPPORTUNITY 



Spring Hill Tennessee, IVoTcmber 29, 1864. Selections from Chapter 
VI, History of 73d Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Matter furnished 
wy t'rank Wilkeson, an Artilleryman in the Federal Army, for 
publication in the Grand Army Gazette and IVational Guardsmen, 

IVos. 82 and 84 Nassau Street, New York City. (Date, not later than 

1889.) 



Three years ago my comrade, Rhett Thomas, and I were prospect- 
ing in tlie foot hills of the Sierra Madre Mountains in Wyoming. 
Thomas was an ex-Confederate soldier, a Mississippian. He was 
tall, slender, lean-flanked, thin-faced, black-eyed and forty-two years 
old. On the evening of May 30th (1886) we sat by a blazing camp fire 
in Bear Creek Valley. The dark pine clad highlands behind us re- 
sounded with the noise of falling waters and the mournful sighing of 
swaying pines. We sat silently looking at the fire, here dying down, 
there suddenly glowing into heat, as if it were alive and swayed by a 
gust of passion. The fire and the day recalled memories of the war. 

"Thomas," I said, "to-day is Decoration Day. Throughout the North 
the graves of the men who fell in defense of the Union have been strewn 
with fiowers. The memories of the war are being recalled around thou- 
sands of hearth stones to-night. You never speak of the war. Break 
your rule to-night, and tell me a battle story." 

Thomas looked at me inquiringly for an instant and then said 
sadly: "I do not like to talk of the war. My father and brothers were 
killed in battle, our home was burned, our slaves freed, our lands made 
valueless. My friends and comrades were shot dead by the score. 
Other scores, weakened by starvation and hard work and thinly clad, 
died. The memories of the war are exceedingly painful to me. But," 
he added as he shrugged his shoulders to my entreaty to talk, "pile 
some wood on the fire while I cut a couple of pipefuls of tobacco and 
then I will tell you of the fiercest battle I was in." 

I piled logs higli on the fire. We lit our pipes on the glowing coals, 
then, wrapped in our blankets, we sat on the ground and I listened 
attentively to my rebel friend. 

"I belonged to Joe Johnston's army," said Thomas. "We had ceased 
to talk of our victory at Kenesaw. The daily fighting during our long 
retreat before Shennan had been almost forgotten. Our lost opportun- 
ity at Peach-Tree Creek — lost by the removal of Johnston — had ceased 
to trouble us. The loss of Atlanta and thousands of our comrades who 
fell in the battles around that town was still fresh in our memories. 
And fresher still was the recollection of the bloody assault on the two 
redoubts near Altoona that were held by a couple of thousand Yankees. 
We had lost Johnston, in wliom we had unbounded confidence; Hood, 
whom we did not consider a safe soldier, was in command. We feared 
that some of the belief as to the fighting capacity of Northern men. 






24 TWENTY-NINTH ANNUAL REUNION SEVENTY-THIRD 



held by the slave-holders before the war, still lingered in his mind. 
We privates had promptly discovered that the Yankees were as efficient 
fighters as we for two days, and our superiors if the battle lasted three, 
four or five days. We had a saying which was founded on fact; it 
was: 'Yankees must be whipped in two days, or they cannot be beaten 
at all.' 

"We marched north, south, east, west — in any direction Hood saw 
fit to lead us — and Sherman trailed after us. At Gaylesville he tired 
of the pleasures of the chase and abandoned us. We camped for a 
few days, then crossed the Tennessee River a few miles above Flor- 
ence, and then marched rapidly toward Columbia. Here we had our 
first hard fighting in forcing the passage of Duck River. We pushed 
the Federals from the river, and then made a furious march, fighting as 
we went so as to intercept the retreat of Schofield's army. We out- 
marched them, and slept near Spring Hill. When we bivouacked we 
knew we had Schofield in a trap and that he was ours." 

Thomas ceased talking. He looked gloomily into the fire for an 
Instant, and then said regretfully: "Yes, we outmarched Schofield, and 
then we slept, and "vvliile we slept Schofield marched by — marched with- 
in a half mile of our campfires. I have never seen more intense rage 
and profound disgust than was expressed by the weary, foot-sore, 
battle-torn Confederate soldiers when they discovered that their officers 
had allowed their prey to escape," 

This is all we need to quote from Thomas' statement. Undeniably 
the cause of Hood's losing, or failing to improve his opportunity, is 
correctly and tersely expressed in the last two sentences quoted above. 
It shows how or why the opportunity was lost and places the blame 
where it belongs — upon their officers. Hood and his subordinates. Tlie 
essence or truth of history regarding this episode is that while Hood's 
army slept, Schofield's marclied. What was Hood's loss, was Schofield's 
gain. And thus is explained the intensity, severity and dogged determ- 
ination exhibited next day in the unexampled fighting at Franklin, Hood 
trying to retrieve his loss and Schofield trying to save his gain, which 
he did; then marched off; burning no bridge, or leaving any hindrances 
in the way of Hood's opportunity to follow up. 

But there seems to be a kind of secondary cause of Hood's "Lost 
Opportunity," at Spring Hill. A question arises: What was back of 
the cause, or rather what was primarily the cause of that "Lost Op- 
portunity?" What caused their officers to allow the Confederate sol- 
diers to sleep ? Were they, or were they not celebrating the "opportun- 
ity," exulting in the fact that the opportunity was really theirs? Next, 
what excuse or explanation can be given for tlie remissness of duty on 
the part of their officers in "allowing their prey to escape"? 

In a letter from a subscriber to the Confederate Veteran, viz. : J. S. 
Hatch, 36th 111. Vols., Piano, 111., I find this statement, viz.: 

"My 'Confederate Veteran' just received. A man has quite an article 
"on Spring Hill. Says Capt. H. H. Showers, one of Forrest's Cavalry 
"and on Hood's escort, states a barrel of old apple brandy at the 
"Cheavis House was the cause of Schofield's escape. (I think it should 
"be Thompson's instead of Cheavis'). 

"Capt. Anderson, I think, of the 4th Tenn. Cav., C. S. A.„ is the man 






26 TWENTY-NINTH ANNUAL REUNION SEVENTY-THIRD 

and the other six taken as flankers. Obstructions: The enemy, one half 
mile north of Spring Hill. Companies A, P, D and I were detached for 
advance guards. I was detached from Company A with several men and 
ordered to take and maintain a distance of from two to four hundred 
yards in advance. * * * * j fggj good yet when I think how coolly those 
six companies of the 73d stood there in that open field east of town, 
and stubbornly fired iiito that advancing column as thougli it would 
ride them down." — Sergeant Bullard. 

"Now note the situation. The 4th corps formed in a sort of semi- 
circle on east side of the pike, with the little town of Spring Hill in the 
rear of about the center. The trains of the corps had been coming in, 
accompanied by thousands of refugees, both white and black. Some 
came in family carriages, others in wagons and carts and every con- 
ceivable kind of vehicle, while still others walked and carried all their 
earthly possessions. These were with our immense train of com- 
missary and quartermaster stores, camp and garrison equipage 
and artillery. This conglomeration was all inside the semicircle 
described. What the result would have been had Hood at this time 
attacked us can only be surmised. That he did not was one of the 
unfortunate blunders of his life and one of the most fortunate things 
in the liistory of the 4th Corps.* As soon as the rear of the 23d Corps 
had passed, this immense conglomeration known as an army train 
commenced to move out toward Franklin, and as soon as the train 
had all moved out, the troops were cautiously withdrawn, beginning 
at the extreme right or south, of thei line, and by daylight on the 
morning of the 30th all had moved out except the 1st Brigade of 
the 2d Division, designated as rear guard. * * * * When the 73d 
formed in line of battle north of Spring Hill, November 30th- facing 
south, it looked upon a, town that was about as completely stripped as 
it was ever its fortune or misfortune to see. There was not a 
man, or mule, or a dollar's worth of property left behind." — Capt. 
and Brevet Major Patten. 

It is clearly, unmistakably apparent from the foregoing accounts, 
I)oth Confederate and Federal, that the oiiportunity, full sized and 
portentous, did loom magnificently for Hood, but waited not for jolli- 
fication; then did as magnificently disappear and vanish for Schofield, 
who did industriously improve the time, allowing no grass to grow 
on the pike the night of November 29, 1864. 

Both accounts fully admit and recognize the opportunitj', its in- 
cipiency and its winking out for Hood, who laughed first. Schofield 

*Note. — Here was the climax of Hood's "Lost Opportunity." From 
this point it began to diminish, recede and finally disappear, and was 
lost, never to reappear. There were many good causes for exultation 
on the part of Hood and his officers prior to this finishing climax, the 
height or magnitude of which may have led to over-confidence and a 
resort to the barrel of apple brandy herein referred to. 



REGIMENT ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY. 



27 



laughed last and well earned the privilege. As Lincoln said in one 
of his addresses — the second inaugural, "The Almighty has his own 
purposes." Hood and Scbofield supposedly fitted in, each in his place, 
in the accomplishment of those purposes. Whatever may have con- 
tributed in a daring non-combatant way to this result Is not at this 
late day susceptible of proof. 

Respectfully submitted. 

W. H. NEWLIN 
Historian 73d 111. Infty., 
925 West Washington Street, Springfield, 111. 




COMRADE AND MRS. W. H. NEWLIN. 



y^ Amanda Ann Hawes was born January 17th, 1848. She was one 
of a family of thirteen children, being the second daughter. Was 
married January 16th, 1868, to W. H. Newlln, who was the second son 
in a family of thirteen children. She was called and known by the 
name "Topsy", being a child of dark complexion, at about the time of 
the publication of Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin". She 
died Wednesday morning, October 20th, 1915, leaving surviving her 
husband; T. H. Newlin, J. C. Newlin and W. C. Newlin, sons; one daugh- 



28 TWENTY-NINTH ANNUAL REUNION SEVENTY-THIRD 

ter; Mrs. A. J. Barnes; one son — first child — died in infancy. George- 
town, Vermilion county, 111., was the birth-place of all the above 
named, except that W. C. and Kate H. Newlin were born at Danville. 
She is also survived by four grandchildren— William H. and Mary T., 
children of W. C. Newlin; June R. and Benj. A., children of Mrs. 
A. J. Barnes. 

The funeral services were held Friday morning, Oct. 22, at 10 
o'clock, at the residence, 925 West Washington street, Springfield, 111., 
conducted by Rev. M. G. Coleman of Taylorville and Rev. T. N. Ewing 
of Springfield. Comrades Birt, Davidson and Davis, and Professors 
Dickerson, Humer and Taylor were the pall bearers. Services were 
concluded at the grave in Oak Ridge Cemetery. A. S. W. Hawes, 
Olive Newlin and Mrs. L. M. Thompson of Danville, Mrs. J. F. Newlin 
of Chrisman, and P. T. Hawes and William Coonrad of Decatur were 
the relatives in attendance from outside the city. 



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REGIMENT ILLINOIS VOLtTNTEER INFANTRY. ^5 

"Comrade B. H. Strait of 36th 111. of Ottawa, 111., and I met and visited 
"with — he told us a young lady in the Thompson house wl^e-re. Gen. 
"Hood had his headquarters Nov. 29, 1864, on the Davis Ford- Road — 
"that is just about two miles east of the Col. Cheavis house on the 
"Columbia Pike — told us of the barrel of apple brandy and effects 
"thereof, etc." 

Readers may draw their own conclusions. The foregoing is meant 
as a suggestion merely, not as a final settlement of any question at 
issue. Will close this paper by quoting from Chapter VI, 73d 111., 
showing the conditions at Spring Hill on the afternoon and night of 
Nov. 29th, 1864: 

"The valley southeast is lighted up with rebel campfires; looks as 
though there might be a corps of Infantry there. Prospects look 
gloomy for all our train to be saved." — Capt. Kyger. 

"We reached Spring Hill some time after noon. Saw Confederate 
cavalry in the road at or near Spring Hill . We did duty first as flankers 
then as skirmishers. Our position at Spring Hill was on the skirmish 
and picket line. We left Spring Hill early on the morning of November 
30th. The 23d corps and all the 4th corps excepting our brigade passed 
along the pike, getting well on the way to Franklin before daylight. 
The 73d with the other regiments of our brigade, marched in line of 
battle as rear guard until we reached the hills south of Franklin, where 
a section of artillery was posted." — Sergt. Jack. 

"Arrived at Columbia November 24th, I think. Remained there two 
or three days. Dug rifle pits north of river and we left there November 
29th in the morning. From Columbia to Spring Hill our brigade had 
the advance. We reached there about the middle of the afternoon. I 
saw no obstructions in the road at Spring Hill. We were in line of 
battle northeast of Spring Hill. We advanced and drove the rebels 
back and were on picket all night. We started for Franklin aft^r sun- 
rise November 30th." — Lieut. Sherrick. 

"We did picket duty and were detailed to burn a house between the 
picket lines, while near Columbia. The 73d Illinois crossed Duck River 
on the night of November 27th at nine o'clock and camped in a corn- 
field, where we lay all day of the 28th. On the morning of the 29th, we 
started for Spring Hill, the 73d Illinois in advance. * * * * pour com- 
panies, A, F, D, and I, were detailed, and Captain Patten of Company I 
was in command of the detail. The balance of the regiment was de- 
tailed as flankers when within two miles of town. When opposite town, 
on east side, we met and engaged Forrest's cavalry. I was detailed the 
night of the 29th to find the right of our picket line, and the left of 
the line of the 28th Kentucky, which I did, encountering considerable 
difficulty as well as danger." — Sergeant Hasty, Color Bearer. 

"Left camp, and joined column on turnpike before sunrise on the 
morning of November 29th, 1864. Camp on north side Duck river is the 
camp I speak of. The regiment started at the head of column of 2d 
Division 4th Army Corps, four companies detached for advance guards 



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